JP2019156222A - Vehicle controller, vehicle control method and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a vehicle controller, a vehicle control method and a program capable of more preferably executing driving control for avoiding contact with a pedestrian who exists in a travel direction of an own vehicle.SOLUTION: A vehicle controller (100) comprises: a recognition part (130) for recognizing a peripheral state of a vehicle; and a driving control part (140, 160) for controlling automatically, at least steering of the vehicle based on the peripheral state recognized by the recognition part. The driving control part sets a distance between the vehicle and a pedestrian to a first minimum interval or larger interval, when a single pedestrian is recognized in the travel direction of the vehicle by the recognition part, and sets the distance between the vehicle and a pedestrian closest to the vehicle to a distance equal to or larger than a second minimum interval being larger than the first minimum interval, when a plurality of pedestrians are recognized in the travel direction of teh vehicle by the recognition part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a program.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a pedestrian detection system that detects a pedestrian existing around a vehicle and prevents contact with the detected pedestrian is known (for example, Patent Document 1). In Patent Document 1, a laser radar mounted on a vehicle is irradiated with laser light, and irradiation points that are considered to correspond to a pedestrian or a pedestrian group among the irradiation points are grouped, and the spread of the grouped irradiation points A technique for detecting a pedestrian or a group of pedestrians based on the width and the moving speed of the center is disclosed.

JP 2000-3499 A

  However, the conventional technology does not consider how to adjust the minimum distance from the vehicle with respect to the detected pedestrian or pedestrian group. Further, if the vehicle is an autonomous driving vehicle, steering control for avoiding contact with the detected pedestrian or pedestrian group is automatically executed. It is assumed that the steering is simply controlled according to the movement of the pedestrian closest to the vehicle, and suitable driving control may not be executed.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and a vehicle control device capable of more suitably executing driving control to avoid contact with a pedestrian existing in the traveling direction of the host vehicle, An object is to provide a vehicle control method and a program.

  (1): a recognition unit for recognizing a surrounding situation of the vehicle, and a driving control unit for automatically controlling at least steering of the vehicle based on the surrounding situation recognized by the recognition unit, the driving control unit When a single pedestrian is recognized in the traveling direction of the vehicle by the recognition unit, a distance between the vehicle and the pedestrian is set to a first minimum interval or more, and a plurality of the pedestrians in the traveling direction of the vehicle are formed by the recognition unit. When the pedestrian is recognized, the distance between the vehicle and the pedestrian closest to the vehicle is equal to or greater than a second minimum interval greater than the first minimum interval.

  (2): In (1), when the recognition unit recognizes a plurality of pedestrians in the traveling direction of the vehicle, each of the recognized widths of the plurality of pedestrians is determined by the recognition unit. The second minimum interval is adjusted based on the amount of movement.

  (3): In (1) or (2), the driving control unit is a case where a plurality of pedestrians are recognized in the traveling direction of the vehicle by the recognition unit, and the plurality of pedestrians Among them, when a pedestrian existing far from the center of the road extending direction approaches a pedestrian existing closer to the center of the road extending direction, the vehicle and the pedestrian closest to the vehicle Is set to be not less than a third minimum interval larger than the second minimum interval.

  (4): In any one of (1) to (3), the driving control unit may determine the second minimum interval or the second minimum interval based on the attributes of the plurality of pedestrians recognized by the recognition unit. The third minimum interval is adjusted.

  (5): The vehicle control device recognizes the surrounding situation of the vehicle, automatically controls at least steering of the vehicle based on the recognized surrounding situation, and a single pedestrian is recognized in the traveling direction of the vehicle. When the distance between the vehicle and the pedestrian is equal to or greater than the first minimum interval, and a plurality of pedestrians are recognized in the traveling direction of the vehicle, the distance between the vehicle and the pedestrian closest to the vehicle Is a vehicle control method for automatically controlling the steering of the vehicle so as to be equal to or greater than a second minimum interval greater than the first minimum interval.

  (6): The vehicle control apparatus is made to recognize the surrounding situation of the vehicle, and at least the steering of the vehicle is automatically controlled based on the recognized surrounding situation, and a single pedestrian recognizes in the traveling direction of the vehicle. The distance between the vehicle and the pedestrian is not less than the first minimum interval, and when a plurality of pedestrians are recognized in the traveling direction of the vehicle, the vehicle and the pedestrian closest to the vehicle In the program, the steering of the vehicle is automatically controlled so that the distance is equal to or greater than a second minimum interval greater than the first minimum interval.

  According to (1) to (6), driving control for avoiding contact with a pedestrian existing in the traveling direction of the host vehicle can be more suitably executed.

It is a lineblock diagram of vehicle system 1 using a vehicle control device concerning an embodiment. 3 is a functional configuration diagram of a first control unit 120 and a second control unit 160. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of a process of the detour travel control part 142 in case a single pedestrian exists in the advancing direction of the own vehicle M. It is a figure which shows an example of the process of the detour driving control part 142 in case a some pedestrian exists in the advancing direction of the own vehicle M. It is a figure which shows an example of the process of the detour travel control part 142 based on the moving amount | distance to the side direction of a several pedestrian. It is FIG. (1) which shows an example of the process of the detouring traveling control part 142 based on the attribute of a pedestrian. It is FIG. (2) which shows an example of a process of the detour travel control part 142 based on a pedestrian's attribute. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process performed by the automatic driving | operation control apparatus 100 of embodiment. It is a figure showing an example of hardware constitutions of automatic operation control device 100 of an embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a program according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following, the case where the left-hand traffic law is applied will be described. However, when the right-hand traffic law is applied, the right and left may be reversed.

[overall structure]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle system 1 using a vehicle control device according to an embodiment. The vehicle on which the vehicle system 1 is mounted is, for example, a vehicle such as a two-wheel, three-wheel, or four-wheel vehicle, and a drive source thereof is an internal combustion engine such as a diesel engine or a gasoline engine, an electric motor, or a combination thereof. The electric motor operates using electric power generated by a generator connected to the internal combustion engine or electric discharge power of a secondary battery or a fuel cell.

  The vehicle system 1 includes, for example, a camera 10, a radar device 12, a finder 14, an object recognition device 16, a communication device 20, an HMI (Human Machine Interface) 30, a vehicle sensor 40, a navigation device 50, An MPU (Map Positioning Unit) 60, a driving operator 80, an automatic driving control device 100, a travel driving force output device 200, a brake device 210, and a steering device 220 are provided. These devices and devices are connected to each other by a multiple communication line such as a CAN (Controller Area Network) communication line, a serial communication line, a wireless communication network, or the like. The configuration illustrated in FIG. 1 is merely an example, and a part of the configuration may be omitted, or another configuration may be added. The automatic driving control device 100 is an example of a “vehicle control device”.

  The camera 10 is a digital camera using a solid-state image sensor such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor). The camera 10 is attached to an arbitrary location of a vehicle (hereinafter, the host vehicle M) on which the vehicle system 1 is mounted. When imaging the front, the camera 10 is attached to the upper part of the front windshield, the rear surface of the rearview mirror, or the like. For example, the camera 10 periodically and repeatedly images the periphery of the host vehicle M. The camera 10 may be a stereo camera.

  The radar device 12 radiates radio waves such as millimeter waves around the host vehicle M, and detects radio waves (reflected waves) reflected by the object to detect at least the position (distance and direction) of the object. The radar device 12 is attached to an arbitrary location of the host vehicle M. The radar apparatus 12 may detect the position and speed of an object by FM-CW (Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave) method.

  The finder 14 is LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging). The finder 14 irradiates light around the host vehicle M and measures scattered light. The finder 14 detects the distance to the object based on the time from light emission to light reception. The irradiated light is, for example, pulsed laser light. The finder 14 is attached to an arbitrary location of the host vehicle M.

  The object recognition device 16 performs sensor fusion processing on detection results of some or all of the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the finder 14 to recognize the position, type, speed, and the like of the object. The object recognition device 16 outputs the recognition result to the automatic driving control device 100. The object recognition device 16 may output the detection results of the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the finder 14 to the automatic driving control device 100 as they are. The object recognition device 16 may be omitted from the vehicle system 1.

  The communication device 20 communicates with other vehicles around the host vehicle M using, for example, a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, Bluetooth (registered trademark), DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication), or wirelessly. It communicates with various server apparatuses via a base station.

  The HMI 30 presents various information to the occupant of the host vehicle M and accepts an input operation by the occupant. The HMI 30 includes various display devices, speakers, buzzers, touch panels, switches, keys, and the like.

  The vehicle sensor 40 includes a vehicle speed sensor that detects the speed of the host vehicle M, an acceleration sensor that detects acceleration, a yaw rate sensor that detects an angular velocity around the vertical axis, a direction sensor that detects the direction of the host vehicle M, and the like.

  The navigation device 50 includes, for example, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver 51, a navigation HMI 52, and a route determination unit 53. The navigation device 50 holds the first map information 54 in a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or a flash memory. The GNSS receiver 51 specifies the position of the host vehicle M based on the signal received from the GNSS satellite. The position of the host vehicle M may be specified or supplemented by an INS (Inertial Navigation System) using the output of the vehicle sensor 40. The navigation HMI 52 includes a display device, a speaker, a touch panel, keys, and the like. The navigation HMI 52 may be partly or wholly shared with the HMI 30 described above. The route determination unit 53 is, for example, a route from the position of the host vehicle M specified by the GNSS receiver 51 (or any input position) to the destination input by the occupant using the navigation HMI 52 (hereinafter, referred to as “route”). The route on the map is determined with reference to the first map information 54. The first map information 54 is information in which a road shape is expressed by, for example, a link indicating a road and nodes connected by the link. The first map information 54 may include road curvature and POI (Point Of Interest) information. The on-map route is output to the MPU 60. The navigation device 50 may perform route guidance using the navigation HMI 52 based on the map route. The navigation device 50 may be realized, for example, by a function of a terminal device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal held by an occupant. The navigation device 50 may transmit the current position and the destination to the navigation server via the communication device 20 and obtain a route equivalent to the on-map route from the navigation server.

  The MPU 60 includes, for example, a recommended lane determining unit 61 and holds the second map information 62 in a storage device such as an HDD or a flash memory. The recommended lane determining unit 61 divides the on-map route provided from the navigation device 50 into a plurality of blocks (for example, every 100 [m] with respect to the vehicle traveling direction), and refers to the second map information 62 Determine the recommended lane for each block. The recommended lane determining unit 61 performs determination such as what number of lanes from the left to travel. The recommended lane determining unit 61 determines a recommended lane so that the host vehicle M can travel on a reasonable route for proceeding to the branch destination when a branch point exists on the map route.

  The second map information 62 is map information with higher accuracy than the first map information 54. The second map information 62 includes, for example, information on the center of the lane or information on the boundary of the lane. The second map information 62 may include road information, traffic regulation information, address information (address / postal code), facility information, telephone number information, and the like. The second map information 62 may be updated as needed by the communication device 20 communicating with other devices.

  The driving operation element 80 includes, for example, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, a shift lever, a steering wheel, a deformed steer, a joystick, and other operation elements. A sensor for detecting the amount of operation or the presence or absence of an operation is attached to the driving operator 80, and the detection result is the automatic driving control device 100, or the traveling driving force output device 200, the brake device 210, and the steering device. A part or all of 220 is output.

  The automatic operation control device 100 includes, for example, a first control unit 120 and a second control unit 160. Each of these components is realized by a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a program (software). Some or all of these components are hardware (circuits) such as LSI (Large Scale Integration), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), and GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). Part (including circuit)), or may be realized by cooperation of software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device such as an HDD or a flash memory of the automatic operation control device 100, or is stored in a removable storage medium such as a DVD or a CD-ROM, and the storage medium is a drive device. May be installed in the HDD or flash memory of the automatic operation control device 100. A combination of the action plan generation unit 140 and the second control unit 160 is an example of the “driving control unit”. For example, the driving control unit automatically controls at least steering among the speed or steering of the host vehicle M based on the surrounding situation recognized by the recognition unit 130.

  FIG. 2 is a functional configuration diagram of the first control unit 120 and the second control unit 160. The first control unit 120 includes, for example, a recognition unit 130 and an action plan generation unit 140. The first control unit 120 implements, for example, a function based on AI (Artificial Intelligence) and a function based on a predetermined model in parallel. For example, the “recognize intersection” function executes recognition of an intersection by deep learning or the like and recognition based on a predetermined condition (there is a signal that can be matched with a pattern, road marking, etc.) in parallel. May be realized by scoring and comprehensively evaluating. This ensures the reliability of automatic driving.

  Based on information input from the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the finder 14 through the object recognition device 16, the recognition unit 130 determines the positions of objects around the host vehicle M, and states such as speed and acceleration. recognize. Objects include, for example, moving objects such as pedestrians and other vehicles, and obstacles such as construction sites. The position of the object is recognized, for example, as a position on absolute coordinates with the representative point (the center of gravity, the center of the drive shaft, etc.) of the host vehicle M as the origin, and is used for control. The position of the object may be represented by a representative point such as the center of gravity or corner of the object, or may be represented by a represented area. When the object is another vehicle, the “state” of the object may include acceleration or jerk of the object, or “behavioral state” (for example, whether or not the lane is changed or is about to be changed). Further, when the object is a pedestrian, the “state” of the object may include the direction in which the object moves or the “behavioral state” (for example, whether or not the vehicle is crossing or is about to cross the road). Good. Further, the recognition unit 130 may recognize the amount of movement of the object during the sampling period.

  Further, the recognition unit 130 recognizes, for example, a lane (road) on which the host vehicle M is traveling. For example, the recognizing unit 130 has a road lane marking line around the host vehicle M recognized from the road lane marking pattern (for example, an array of solid lines and broken lines) obtained from the second map information 62 and an image captured by the camera 10. The driving lane is recognized by comparing with the pattern. Note that the recognition unit 130 may recognize a travel lane by recognizing not only a road lane line but also a road lane line (road boundary) including a road lane line, a road shoulder, a curb, a median strip, a guardrail, and the like. . In this recognition, the position of the host vehicle M acquired from the navigation device 50 and the processing result by INS may be taken into account. The recognition unit 130 recognizes the width of the road on which the host vehicle M travels. In this case, the recognition unit 130 may recognize the road width from the image captured by the camera 10, or may recognize the road width from the road lane line obtained from the second map information 62. Further, the recognition unit 130 may recognize the width (for example, the vehicle width of another vehicle), the height, the shape, and the like of the obstacle based on the image captured by the camera 10. The recognizing unit 130 recognizes a stop line, a red light, a toll gate, and other road events.

  When recognizing the traveling lane, the recognizing unit 130 recognizes the position and posture of the host vehicle M with respect to the traveling lane. For example, the recognizing unit 130 determines the relative position of the host vehicle M with respect to the travel lane by making an angle between a deviation of the representative point of the host vehicle M from the center of the lane and a line connecting the center of the lane in the traveling direction of the host vehicle M. And may be recognized as a posture. Instead, the recognition unit 130 recognizes the position of the representative point of the host vehicle M with respect to any side edge (road lane line or road boundary) of the traveling lane as the relative position of the host vehicle M with respect to the traveling lane. May be. The recognition unit 130 may recognize a structure on the road (for example, a utility pole, a median strip, etc.) based on the first map information 54 or the second map information 62. The functions of the movement amount estimation unit 132 and the pedestrian attribute determination unit 134 of the recognition unit 130 will be described later.

  In principle, the action plan generation unit 140 travels in the recommended lane determined by the recommended lane determination unit 61, and the host vehicle M automatically (driver) A target trajectory to be run in the future is generated (independent of the operation of). The target trajectory is a target trajectory through which the representative point of the host vehicle M passes. The target trajectory includes, for example, a speed element. For example, the target track is expressed as a sequence of points (track points) that the host vehicle M should reach. The track point is a point where the host vehicle M should reach every predetermined travel distance (for example, about several [m]) as a road distance. Separately, the track point is a predetermined sampling time (for example, about 0 comma [sec]). ) Is generated as part of the target trajectory. Further, the track point may be a position to which the host vehicle M should arrive at the sampling time for each predetermined sampling time. In this case, information on the target speed and target acceleration is expressed by the interval between the trajectory points.

  The action plan generation unit 140 may set an automatic driving event when generating the target trajectory. The automatic driving event includes a constant speed driving event, a low speed following driving event, a lane change event, a branch event, a merge event, a takeover event, and the like. The action plan generation unit 140 generates a target trajectory corresponding to the activated event. The function of the detour travel control unit 142 of the action plan generation unit 140 will be described later.

  The second control unit 160 controls the driving force output device 200, the brake device 210, and the steering device 220 so that the host vehicle M passes the target track generated by the action plan generation unit 140 at a scheduled time. Control.

  The second control unit 160 includes, for example, an acquisition unit 162, a speed control unit 164, and a steering control unit 166. The acquisition unit 162 acquires information on the target trajectory (orbit point) generated by the action plan generation unit 140 and stores it in a memory (not shown). The speed control unit 164 controls the travel driving force output device 200 or the brake device 210 based on a speed element associated with the target track stored in the memory. The steering control unit 166 controls the steering device 220 according to the degree of bending of the target trajectory stored in the memory. The processing of the speed control unit 164 and the steering control unit 166 is realized by, for example, a combination of feedforward control and feedback control. As an example, the steering control unit 166 executes a combination of feed-forward control corresponding to the curvature of the road ahead of the host vehicle M and feedback control based on deviation from the target track.

  The traveling driving force output device 200 outputs a traveling driving force (torque) for traveling of the vehicle to driving wheels. The traveling driving force output device 200 includes, for example, a combination of an internal combustion engine, an electric motor, a transmission, and the like, and an ECU that controls these. The ECU controls the above-described configuration according to information input from the second control unit 160 or information input from the driving operator 80.

  The brake device 210 includes, for example, a brake caliper, a cylinder that transmits hydraulic pressure to the brake caliper, an electric motor that generates hydraulic pressure in the cylinder, and a brake ECU. The brake ECU controls the electric motor in accordance with the information input from the second control unit 160 or the information input from the driving operation element 80 so that the brake torque corresponding to the braking operation is output to each wheel. The brake device 210 may include, as a backup, a mechanism that transmits the hydraulic pressure generated by operating the brake pedal included in the driving operation element 80 to the cylinder via the master cylinder. The brake device 210 is not limited to the configuration described above, and is an electronically controlled hydraulic brake device that controls the actuator according to information input from the second control unit 160 and transmits the hydraulic pressure of the master cylinder to the cylinder. Also good.

  The steering device 220 includes, for example, a steering ECU and an electric motor. For example, the electric motor changes the direction of the steered wheels by applying a force to a rack and pinion mechanism. The steering ECU drives the electric motor according to the information input from the second control unit 160 or the information input from the driving operator 80, and changes the direction of the steered wheels.

[Function of detour travel control unit]
The detour travel control unit 142 performs control to detour around the pedestrian when the recognition unit 130 recognizes that the pedestrian is present in the traveling direction of the road on which the host vehicle M travels. In the following, the case where the pedestrian moving in the same direction as the traveling direction of the own vehicle M is overtaken to bypass the pedestrian is illustrated and described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the moving direction is opposite to the traveling direction of the own vehicle M. The present invention can be similarly applied to a case where a pedestrian is avoided to make a detour.

  When the recognizing unit 130 recognizes that a pedestrian is present in the traveling direction of the road on which the host vehicle M travels, the detour traveling control unit 142 passes the pedestrian based on the number of pedestrians present. Generate a target trajectory for. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of processing of the detour traveling control unit 142 when a single pedestrian exists in the traveling direction of the host vehicle M. In the example of FIG. 3, it is assumed that a single pedestrian P1 exists in the traveling direction of the host vehicle M traveling on the road R1 partitioned by the left and right road lane markings LL and LR. A single pedestrian is, for example, a pedestrian whose distance from another pedestrian is a predetermined distance (for example, about several [m]) or more. Moreover, in the example of FIG. 3, the own vehicle M shall pass the right side of the pedestrian P1 and shall perform an overtaking driving | operation.

  For example, when the recognizing unit 130 recognizes the pedestrian P1 existing in the traveling direction of the host vehicle M, the detour traveling control unit 142 may contact the pedestrian P1 based on the contour information of the pedestrian P1. A contact estimation area Pa1 that is estimated to be present is set. Further, the detour travel control unit 142 generates a target trajectory K1 for overtaking the pedestrian P1 without touching the set contact estimation area Pa1.

  First, the detour travel control unit 142 temporarily sets a target track K1 through which the center of the host vehicle M (for example, the center of gravity G) passes, and sets the temporarily set target track K1 in the horizontal direction (road width direction; Y direction in the figure). In addition, a left offset track KL1 that is offset by a distance D1 to the left end of the host vehicle M is generated. Then, the detour travel control unit 142 generates the target trajectory K1 such that the distance between the left offset trajectory KL1 and the estimated contact area Pa1 is equal to or greater than the first minimum interval W1 when passing the pedestrian P1 from the right side.

  In addition to the left offset trajectory KL1, the detour travel control unit 142 generates a right offset trajectory KR1 obtained by offsetting the temporarily set target trajectory K1 by a distance D2 to the right wheel of the host vehicle M. Also good. In this case, the detour travel control unit 142 sets the target trajectory K1 so that the distance between the left offset trajectory KL1 and the contact estimation area Pa1 is not less than the first minimum interval W1 and the right offset trajectory KR1 does not exceed the road marking line LR. Is generated. Thereby, the own vehicle M can pass the pedestrian P1 without protruding from the road R1.

  Further, the detour travel control unit 142 recognizes that there are a plurality of pedestrians in the traveling direction of the host vehicle M by the recognition unit 130 and passes the recognized plurality of pedestrians. The distance from the pedestrian closest to M is equal to or greater than the second minimum interval that is greater than the first minimum interval W1. The plurality of pedestrians are, for example, two or more pedestrians whose distance between pedestrians is less than a predetermined distance (for example, about several [m]). Moreover, in addition to the distance between pedestrians being less than a predetermined distance, a plurality of pedestrians are pedestrians whose movement direction or movement speed is within a predetermined range, or two or more existing in a side-by-side position. May be a pedestrian. Further, “closest” means, for example, the distance from the outer peripheral surface of the host vehicle M, the distance from the center of gravity of the host vehicle M, and the recognition unit of the host vehicle M (for example, the camera 10, the radar device 12, the finder 14). The distance from may be used as a reference.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of processing of the detour travel control unit 142 when a plurality of pedestrians exist in the traveling direction of the host vehicle M. In the example of FIG. 4, it is assumed that there are a plurality of pedestrians P1 and P2 in the traveling direction of the host vehicle M traveling on the road R1. In this case, the detour travel control unit 142 generates a target track on which the host vehicle M passes the pedestrians P1 and P2.

  When the host vehicle M generates a target track overtaking the pedestrians P1 and P2, the detour travel control unit 142, as shown in FIG. 4, the contact estimation area Pa1 of the pedestrian P1 closest to the host vehicle M The target trajectory K1 + for overtaking the pedestrians P1 and P2 is generated without touching. Specifically, the detour travel control unit 142, when overtaking a plurality of pedestrians P1 and P2, the second minimum interval W2 that is larger than the first minimum interval W1 with the distance between the left offset trajectory KL1 and the estimated contact area Pa1. As described above, the target trajectory K1 + is generated so that the left offset trajectory KL1 passes through a position that is equal to or greater than the second minimum interval W2. Note that the second minimum interval W2 may be larger than the first minimum interval W1 by a fixed interval (for example, about 0.5 [m]), and the pedestrian P1 recognized by the recognition unit 130. The interval based on the step length may be increased.

  In this way, when there are a plurality of pedestrians, the behavior of one pedestrian causes the behavior of the other pedestrians to spread in a chain and move more than in the case of a single pedestrian. By making the distance between M and the nearest pedestrian larger than when there is a single pedestrian, the possibility of contact with the pedestrian can be reduced, and more suitable driving control can be executed. .

  Further, when the recognition unit 130 recognizes a plurality of pedestrians in the traveling direction of the host vehicle M, the detour travel control unit 142 moves in the lateral direction of the plurality of pedestrians estimated by the movement amount estimation unit 132. The second minimum interval may be adjusted based on the amount of movement. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of processing of the detour travel control unit 142 based on the amount of movement of a plurality of pedestrians in the lateral direction. In the example of FIG. 5, it is assumed that each of the pedestrians P1 and P2 is walking at the speeds Vp1 and Vp2 diagonally forward to the right. The pedestrian P1 is a pedestrian that is present closer to the center in the extending direction (X direction in the figure) of the road R1. The pedestrian P2 is a pedestrian existing in a direction far from the center in the extending direction (X direction in the drawing) of the road R1.

[Function of movement estimation unit]
When the recognition unit 130 recognizes the presence of a plurality of pedestrians P1 and P2 in the traveling direction of the host vehicle M, the movement amount estimation unit 132 calculates the movement amounts xp1 and xp2 in the lateral direction among the respective movement amounts. presume. The movement amounts xp1 and xp2 are, for example, movement amounts by which the pedestrians P1 and P2 move laterally from the outside (for example, the lane marking LL) toward the inside (for example, the center of the road) of the road R1. Further, the movement amounts xp1 and xp2 may be movement amounts in which the pedestrians P1 and P2 move laterally toward the side overtaken by the host vehicle M.

  Further, the movement amount estimation unit 132 may determine whether the pedestrian P2 is approaching the pedestrian P1 based on the respective movement amounts xp1 and xp2. In this case, for example, the movement amount estimation unit 132 derives a relative movement amount xr (= xp2−xp1) in the lateral direction of the pedestrian P2 with respect to the pedestrian P1, and the derived relative movement amount xr is greater than zero (0). In this case, it is determined that the pedestrian P2 is approaching the pedestrian P1, and when the relative movement amount xr is equal to or less than zero, it is determined that the pedestrian P2 is not approaching the pedestrian P1.

  When the travel estimation unit 132 determines that the pedestrian P2 is approaching the pedestrian P1, the detour travel control unit 142 determines the distance between the host vehicle M and the pedestrian P1 as shown in FIG. The third minimum interval W3 is greater than the second minimum interval W2, and is greater than or equal to the third minimum interval W3. As described above, when the pedestrian P2 approaches the pedestrian P1, the pedestrian P1 predicts that the pedestrian P1 will move further in the lateral direction in the future, and the walking is performed by increasing the minimum interval. The possibility of future contact with the person can also be reduced, and more suitable operation control can be executed.

  Further, when the movement amount estimation unit 132 determines that the pedestrian P2 is not approaching the pedestrian P1, the detour travel control unit 142 determines the distance between the host vehicle M and the pedestrian P1 as the second minimum interval. The second minimum interval W2 may be adjusted based on the magnitude of the relative movement amount xr. In this case, when the relative movement amount xr is a negative value, since the distance between the pedestrian P1 and the pedestrian P2 is increased, the pedestrian P1 is not easily affected by the behavior of the pedestrian P2. Therefore, the detour travel control unit 142 adjusts the second minimum interval W2 based on only the movement amount xp1 of the pedestrian P1 within a range less than the third minimum interval W3.

  Further, the detour travel control unit 142 may adjust the third minimum interval W3 based on the attribute of the pedestrian determined by the pedestrian attribute determination unit 134. FIG. 6 is a diagram (part 1) illustrating an example of processing of the detour travel control unit 142 based on the attribute of the pedestrian.

[Function of pedestrian attribute discriminator]
When there are a plurality of pedestrians in the traveling direction of the host vehicle M by the recognition unit 130, the pedestrian attribute determination unit 134 determines the attribute of each pedestrian. The attribute is, for example, a result of determining whether an adult or a child. Further, the attribute may be a result of discrimination of gender and age. The pedestrian attribute discriminating unit 134 analyzes, for example, an image captured by the camera 10, and estimates and estimates the heights of a plurality of pedestrians existing in the traveling direction of the host vehicle M included in the image. A pedestrian whose height is equal to or greater than a predetermined value is determined as an adult, and a pedestrian whose height is less than the predetermined value is determined as a child.

  Moreover, the pedestrian attribute discrimination | determination part 134 may discriminate | determine an attribute based on clothes of a pedestrian. In this case, the pedestrian attribute determination unit 134 analyzes the image captured by the camera 10, and determines that the pedestrian is a child when it is determined that the pedestrian carries the school bag based on the analysis result. Moreover, the pedestrian attribute discrimination | determination part 134 may discriminate | determine the attribute ratio (For example, 25% of adults, 75% of children) with respect to several pedestrians.

  In the example of FIG. 6, the pedestrian attribute determination unit 134 determines that the pedestrian P1 is an adult and the pedestrian P2 is a child. Further, it is assumed that the movement amount estimation unit 132 estimates the movement amount xp2 in the lateral direction of the pedestrian P2. In this scene, since the pedestrian P1 is an adult, the future lateral movement amount xp1 # of the pedestrian P1 due to the movement amount xp2 of the pedestrian P2 is predicted to be smaller than the movement amount xp2. . Therefore, the detour travel control unit 142 multiplies the movement amount xp2 of the pedestrian P2 by a coefficient less than 1 to derive the future lateral movement amount xp1 # of the pedestrian P1. Then, the detour travel control unit 142 adjusts the third minimum interval W3 based on the derived amount of movement xp1 #.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram (part 2) illustrating an example of processing of the detour travel control unit 142 based on the attribute of the pedestrian. In the example of FIG. 7, it is assumed that the pedestrian attribute determination unit 134 has determined pedestrians P1 and P2 as children. Further, it is assumed that the movement amount estimation unit 132 estimates the movement amount xp2 in the lateral direction of the pedestrian P2. In this scene, when the pedestrian P2 moves in the horizontal direction by the movement amount xp2, since the pedestrian P1 is also a child, it is predicted that the pedestrian P2 moves greatly in the horizontal direction due to the movement amount xp2 of the approaching pedestrian P2. The Therefore, for example, the detour travel control unit 142 multiplies the movement amount xp2 of the pedestrian P2 by a coefficient having a value larger than 1 to derive the future lateral movement amount xp1 ## of the pedestrian P1. Then, the detour travel control unit 142 adjusts the third minimum interval W3 based on the derived amount of movement xp1 ##. Specifically, the detour travel control unit 142 increases the adjustment amount of the third minimum interval W3 based on the movement amount xp1 ## as compared with the case of the movement amount xp1 #.

  Further, when the pedestrian attribute determination unit 134 determines that the pedestrian P1 is a female adult, the detour travel control unit 142 sets the third minimum interval W3 as compared to the case where the pedestrian P1 is determined to be a male adult. You may enlarge it. In addition, the detour travel control unit 142 is configured such that when the pedestrian attribute determination unit 134 determines that the pedestrian P1 is an elderly person (for example, 60 years or older), the detour travel control unit 142 3 The minimum interval W3 may be increased. Further, the detour travel control unit 142 may increase the third minimum interval W3 based on the attribute ratio for a plurality of pedestrians determined by the pedestrian attribute determination unit 134.

In this way, by adjusting the third minimum interval based on the attributes of each of the plurality of pedestrians and the attribute ratio of the plurality of pedestrians, the spread of chain movement corresponding to the attributes of the pedestrians can be reduced. Thus, the distance between the host vehicle M and the pedestrian can be maintained at a suitable interval.

  Further, the detour travel control unit 142 may increase the third minimum interval W3 as the number of pedestrians present in the traveling direction of the host vehicle M increases. Further, when there are three or more pedestrians, the detour travel control unit 142 derives the movement amounts of pedestrians other than the pedestrian closest to the host vehicle M, and averages the derived movement amounts. The movement amount of the pedestrian closest to the host vehicle M may be predicted based on the value, the maximum value, etc., and the third minimum interval W3 may be adjusted based on the predicted movement amount. Further, the detour travel control unit 142 may adjust the third minimum interval W3 based on the number and order of pedestrians moving in the horizontal direction among the three or more pedestrians.

[Processing flow]
FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of processing executed by the automatic operation control device 100 according to the embodiment. The process of this flowchart may be repeatedly executed at a predetermined cycle or a predetermined timing, for example. In addition, at the start of this flowchart, it is assumed that a target trajectory is generated by the action plan generation unit 140, and automatic operation is executed by the second control unit 160 based on the generated target trajectory.

  In the example of FIG. 8, the action plan generation unit 140 determines whether or not a pedestrian existing in the traveling direction of the host vehicle M has been recognized by the recognition unit 130 (step S100). When it is determined that the pedestrian has been recognized, it is determined whether or not the pedestrian is a single pedestrian (step S102). When the pedestrian is a single pedestrian, the detour travel control unit 142 generates a target trajectory in which the distance between the host vehicle M and the pedestrian is equal to or greater than the first minimum interval (step S104).

  Moreover, when a pedestrian is not single, it is determined whether the pedestrian far from the center of the road extension direction approached the near pedestrian among several pedestrians (step S106). When it is determined that a pedestrian far from the center of the road extending direction is not approaching a pedestrian closer to the road, the detour travel control unit 142 determines that the pedestrian closest to the host vehicle M and the host vehicle M. A target trajectory is generated such that the distance to the second minimum interval is greater than the first minimum interval (step S108). Further, when it is determined that a pedestrian far from the center of the road extending direction has approached a pedestrian closer to the road, the detour travel control unit 142 determines that the pedestrian closest to the host vehicle M and the host vehicle M. A target trajectory is generated such that the distance to the second minimum interval is greater than or equal to the third minimum interval (step S110).

  Moreover, when it determines with the process of step S100 not having recognized the pedestrian who exists in the advancing direction of the own vehicle, the action plan production | generation part 140 produces | generates a target track | orbit based on a surrounding condition (step S112). Next, the second control unit 160 causes the host vehicle M to travel along the target track generated by the process of step S104, S108, S110, or S112 (step S114). Thereby, the process of this flowchart is complete | finished.

  According to the above-described embodiment, in the vehicle control device, the recognition unit 130 that recognizes the surrounding situation of the vehicle, and the driving that automatically controls at least the steering of the host vehicle M based on the surrounding situation recognized by the recognition unit 130. Control units 140 and 160, and when the recognition unit 130 recognizes a single pedestrian in the traveling direction of the host vehicle M, the driving control units 140 and 160 determine the distance between the host vehicle M and the pedestrian. When the recognition unit 130 recognizes a plurality of pedestrians in the traveling direction of the host vehicle M, the distance between the host vehicle M and the pedestrian closest to the host vehicle M is greater than the first minimum interval. By setting it to be larger than the second minimum minimum interval, it is possible to more suitably execute the driving control that avoids contact with a pedestrian existing in the traveling direction of the host vehicle M.

  Specifically, according to the present embodiment, when there are a plurality of pedestrians in the traveling direction of the host vehicle M, control is performed so that the minimum distance from the pedestrian is larger than when the pedestrian is alone. Thus, it is possible to maintain a suitable interval in consideration of a chain spread due to the movement of a plurality of pedestrians.

[Hardware configuration]
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the automatic driving control apparatus 100 according to the embodiment. As shown in the figure, the automatic operation control device 100 includes a communication controller 100-1, a CPU 100-2, a RAM 100-3 used as a working memory, a ROM 100-4 for storing a boot program, a storage device such as a flash memory and an HDD. 100-5, drive device 100-6, etc. are connected to each other by an internal bus or a dedicated communication line. The communication controller 100-1 communicates with components other than the automatic operation control device 100. The storage device 100-5 stores a program 100-5a executed by the CPU 100-2. This program is expanded in the RAM 100-3 by a DMA (Direct Memory Access) controller (not shown) or the like and executed by the CPU 100-2. Thereby, a part or all of the first control unit 120 and the second control unit 160 of the automatic driving control apparatus 100 is realized.

The embodiment described above can be expressed as follows.
A storage device storing the program;
A hardware processor,
The hardware processor executes a program stored in the storage device,
Recognize the situation around the vehicle,
Automatically controlling at least steering of the vehicle based on the recognized surrounding situation;
When a single pedestrian is recognized in the traveling direction of the vehicle, the distance between the vehicle and the pedestrian is set to a first minimum interval or more, and when a plurality of pedestrians are recognized in the traveling direction of the vehicle, Automatically controlling the steering of the vehicle so that the distance between the vehicle and a pedestrian closest to the vehicle is equal to or greater than a second minimum interval greater than the first minimum interval;
A vehicle control device configured as described above.

  As mentioned above, although the form for implementing this invention was demonstrated using embodiment, this invention is not limited to such embodiment at all, In the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention, various deformation | transformation and substitution Can be added.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Vehicle system, 10 ... Camera, 12 ... Radar device, 14 ... Finder, 16 ... Object recognition device, 20 ... Communication device, 30 ... HMI, 40 ... Vehicle sensor, 50 ... Navigation device, 60 ... MPU, 80 ... Driving Operation unit 100 ... Automatic driving control device 120 ... First control unit 130 ... Recognition unit 132 ... Movement amount estimation unit 134 ... Pedestrian attribute determination unit 140 ... Action plan generation unit 142 ... Bypass travel control unit , 160 ... second control unit, 200 ... driving force output device, 210 ... brake device, 220 ... steering device, M ... own vehicle

Claims (6)

A recognition unit for recognizing the surrounding situation of the vehicle;
A driving control unit that automatically controls at least steering of the vehicle based on a surrounding situation recognized by the recognition unit, and
When the recognition unit recognizes a single pedestrian in the traveling direction of the vehicle, the driving control unit sets the distance between the vehicle and the pedestrian to a first minimum interval or more, and the recognition unit When a plurality of pedestrians are recognized in the traveling direction, the distance between the vehicle and the pedestrian closest to the vehicle is set to be equal to or greater than a second minimum interval greater than the first minimum interval.
Vehicle control device. The driving control unit, when a plurality of pedestrians are recognized in the traveling direction of the vehicle by the recognition unit, based on the amount of movement of each of the recognized pedestrians in the road width direction, Adjust the second minimum interval,
The vehicle control device according to claim 1. The driving control unit is a case where a plurality of pedestrians are recognized in the traveling direction of the vehicle by the recognition unit, and among the plurality of pedestrians, the driving control unit exists in a direction far from the center of the road extending direction. When a pedestrian that approaches the pedestrian that is present closer to the center of the road extending direction, the distance between the vehicle and the pedestrian closest to the vehicle is greater than the second minimum interval. Over the minimum interval,
The vehicle control device according to claim 1 or 2. The driving control unit adjusts the second minimum interval or the third minimum interval based on respective attributes of a plurality of pedestrians recognized by the recognition unit.
The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The vehicle control device
Recognize the situation around the vehicle,
Automatically controlling at least steering of the vehicle based on the recognized surrounding situation;
When a single pedestrian is recognized in the traveling direction of the vehicle, the distance between the vehicle and the pedestrian is set to a first minimum interval or more, and when a plurality of pedestrians are recognized in the traveling direction of the vehicle, Automatically controlling the steering of the vehicle so that the distance between the vehicle and a pedestrian closest to the vehicle is equal to or greater than a second minimum interval greater than the first minimum interval;
Vehicle control method. In the vehicle control device,
Recognize the situation around the vehicle,
Automatically controlling at least steering of the vehicle based on the recognized surrounding situation;
When a single pedestrian is recognized in the traveling direction of the vehicle, the distance between the vehicle and the pedestrian is set to a first minimum interval or more, and when a plurality of pedestrians are recognized in the traveling direction of the vehicle, Automatically controlling steering of the vehicle so that a distance between the vehicle and a pedestrian closest to the vehicle and the vehicle is equal to or greater than a second minimum interval greater than the first minimum interval;
program.

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